I am sooo happy I found Manakoa Gym. I have to fly across the ocean from my home island to get there (30 minutes boarding to landing plus drives) and it is SO worth it. I called during their winter break and was amazed that Cynthia answered the phone. I'm in my 30's and LOVE acrobatics, gymnastics, tumbling. I've wanted to do gymnastics regularly and even dreamt of competitions as a child (but had to wait to grow up to be that child haha!) Luckily they have competition for adults - even beginner adults - so I'm looking forward to training enough to participate in those and making some of my deepest dreams come true. When I told them which days I was coming and asked which classes I could join and for a private, I was so lovingly accommodated and being shy at first, so appreciated all of their warmth.
I feel so blessed this place exists as Coach Cynthia, Coach Ralphie, and Coach Sarah are WONDERFUL. I've learned so much after just a few classes this past week with them and overcome fears I've had with their great teaching strategies, styles of explanation, drills, fun gymnastics games, with focus on kinesthetic, visual, auditory, and ideas of how to best train for various skills. So wonderful to be able to train on floor, beam, bars and have almost daily adult classes - with kids - and work towards real skills and tricks as well as learn basics that other classes for adults haven't covered (while I'm there at least) - walking like a gymnast, saluting judges and beam, correct position of hands and fingers, the details that make it all more real. Really appreciate being so warmly welcomed into the gymnastics family! I went to bed after my first class feeling so grateful for this new family. And one younger girl said it best when she heard I was leaving gymnastics until my next return to their island (in about a month) - "I would never want this place taken away from me. They have taught me so much. I love coming here. I hope it's here for the rest of my life" - All I could say back, was that I feel the same. It's more than simply a work out or stretching or tumbling or even overcoming fears. It's truly a place where everyone I have seen is smiling after class, unfailingly. And such an empowering place to train where every participant takes turns leading the warm up and stretches, though of course with coaches watching and walking around making sure everyone is doing the activity correctly. In the camp classes I got to watch before my classes, I was also completely enjoying how all the gymnasts were rooting for each other's success and encouraging them as they were working on their routine. It's really a well done gymnastics facility and a fantastic place to train and learn gymnastics as an adult or child. I'm sure there are more specifics I could say after my first partial week of training with them daily, but I'll leave it at this and wish you a wonderful training session. This is definitely a perfect place to go if you are at all interested in learning something gymnastics oriented - whether you have had gymnastics training in the past or not - and from the bit I've seen a great spot for kids to have gymnastics classes with great attentive care and coaches who really do their best to explain what gymnasts are practicing, how best to practice it, and why in simple terms. I am also in awe of the fact that the place is SO caring and encouraging that even doing skills one at a time with some parents / friends waiting outside is not intimidating. It's a great place to simply grow into a more wonderful human being - the lessons and skills and care can be applied to so many parts of life. I wish all sorts of 'schools' were like this!
Smiling ear to ear. Thank you so much Cynthia, Sarah, and Ralphie. My heart is flipping with all of you and anticipating my return. read more